Airways, intestines, ureters, fallopian tubes and other tubular structures possess a trilaminate form which offers structural integrity and flow modulation, as well as profound regulation of local inflammation, thrombosis and hemostasis, proliferation and remodeling. In these structures, a loose fibrous adventitia is replete with coursing arterioles, venules and neural forms, a middle muscularis layer provides control of luminal dimensions and tone, and a surface layer contains cells that biochemically regulate the wall response, and sense flow and luminal contents.
In airway disorders—such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)—functional imbalance is tightly associated with remodeling of airway structure. Remodeling can establish an abnormal microenvironment between the epithelium and underlying mesenchyme finally resulting in a pathophysiologic cycle of inflammatory injury and aberrant repair.
Current treatments for airway disorders and disorders of other tubular structures are limited and often have adverse consequences. Treatment options vary with age, health, and the severity of the injury or disease. One objective of the present invention is to provide methods and materials for the treatment of injured, damaged or diseased airways and other tubular structures.